Method of and means for lubricating railway-car bearings



Nov. 24, 1936.

J. A. MoLLER 2,062,250

METHOD 0F AAND MEANS FOR LUBICATING RAILWAY CAR BEARINGS Filed Feb.121934 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 AIP TANK caf-l Essor Y liwmn- Nov. 24, 1936. J.A. MQLLER `2,062,250

METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR LUBRICATING RAILWAY CAR BEARINGS Filed Feb. 12,1934 4 snets-sheet 2 Nov; 24, 1936. J. A. Mo-LLER METHOD OF AND MEANSFOR LUBRICATING RAILWAY CAR BEARINGS Filed Feb. v12, i934 4 Sheets-Sheet3 zia/@mw n JSp/L @Mader l?? wwgmwmwm( NOV. 24, 1936. 1 A, MOLLER2,062,250lv METHOD 0F AND MEANS FQR LUBRICATING RAILWAY CAR BEARINGS lFiled Feb. 12, 1954 4 sheets-sheet 4 Parella-a Nov. 24, 1936 UNITEDSTATES PAIENT ori-fica 2,062.25 mamon 011mm Means ron Lusnrca'rmm I AINGnmwAY-cm n Joseph a. Mauer, Evanston. m., mmm u amA Holler and FrederickG; Wacker, Lake Forest,

Ill. trustees Anuman Ferma-y 12,- resaca-m No. 110,791 24- calms. (ci.isi-s1) axle-journals and their saddle-brasses under such high pressureand such adequate conditions of oil distribution andpressure-application that many drawbacks usually suiered in the use ofthe wick-fed saddle-type of bearing are minimized or substantiallyovercome.

It is generally recognized that the usual manner of lubricating theconventional saddle-type of railway-car bearings-that is to say, bymeans of a wick-pad of oil-soaked waste in the journal.

box, against which the exposed underside of the journal wipes whenrotating-'is generally satisfactory at all train speeds above somecritical speed of low order (usually rated as less than 10 miles perhour), and that when the bearing surfaces are in good condition and thewick oiling is well maintained the friction-reduction, in operationabove the critical speed, compares closely to the performance of themore expensive roller bearings with which a good many passengertrainsare now being equipped, but that under various disadvantageous operatingconditions, and particularly in the starting of a train, this wick-fedlubrication is so inadequate that many serious expenses and operatingdisadvantages result, for the avoidance of which resort is being had toroller-bearings despite their expense and various drawbacks of theirown.

Ordinarily when a train equipped with wicklubricated saddle-typebearings is started the bearings have suffered the loss of most of theoil between the bearing surfaces during the time the train was at astandstill, owing. to drainage and to the downward pressure of theload-bearing saddles upon the' journals, so that the. exposed metallicsurfaces of the saddles and journals are to a great extent in directcontact; wherefore they offer high frictional resistance to the startingof journal rotation.

Largely as a result of this condition a notably high percentage of wearof the bearings occurs in train-starting; also much power-waste isinvolved in overcoming the high resistance of the bearings; and resortis often necessary, principally on this account, to jerky starting ofthe train after preliminary crowding of the cars together to createslack, so that each Succesve car may be separately jerked-into motion asthe slack ahead of it is taken up.

Unduly high bearing frictionk ing-saddle bearingscontinues to exist,with resultant wear -of course, until journal-rotation has entrained anadequate-oillm to give the entire coacting surfaces of the bearings goodprimary boundary lubrication at least, and it recurs more or lesswhenever slow-speed conditions prevailrparticularly under heavy loads. Y

My lubricating method contemplates that wickfed oiling alone will beusedwhen the train is I running above critical speed, butsupplementally,

during theappropriate time relative to the starting ofthe\train,.oil-may be forced into the bear-` ings in such location withrespect to the saddlebrass, and under such heavy pressure in proportionto bearing-load per square inch, that at the time the journals beginturning, Yand desirably l continuing at least until the critical speedfor eiilcient wick-feed is reached, a large portion of the saddlessurface is materially lifted by the forced-in ou body so that the 10aais in effect iloated on the oil to thextent, at least; oflgood secondaryboundary lubrication; with the result, among other advantages, that thebearingfres'ikstance is reduced to. a small percentage of that whichordinarily exists in wick-fed bearings under train-starting conditions,and that the critical speed at which Wick-fed` lubrication becomessatisfactory, after this high pressure lubrication has been applied, ismaterially lowered below the usual critical speed for wick-fed bearings;thus facilitating smooth starting of train and quick, smoothacceleration thereof, as well as substantially reducing therpower-demandincident thereto and the wear-and-tear on the rolling stock.

Further, one ofv my more specic objects is to so apply, distribute andconstrain the forced-in oil body that very efficient distributionandpressure-application between the bearing surfaces are assured, such thata strong wedging-lift action is exerted by the oil body againstappropriatev lift-enhancing groove-surfaces of the brass in narrow zonesincluding ones that are quite remote from the center of the saddle andpreferably are parallel to its longitudinal margin Another object of myinvention, in` f erance of the elcacy and economy of -my high" pressurelubrication system, is toprovide for the lubrication of a limitedplurality otthe car-bearings from a common oil-pressure source, and tomake the distribution of the force-fed oil, asrbetween the differentbearings served b y pressuresource, subject to automatic control such asto compensate to a great extent for differences in resistance tooil-escape offered by the several bearings.

Also I advantageously provide a respective reserve-oil reservoir foreach oil-pump of the highpressure lubricating-system, so connected withthe pump and the wick-containing oil-weils of the journal boxes servedby the pump that a circuit is established for the lubricant; any excessof force-fed oil delivered to a bearing being received in thecorresponding journal-box well and surplus oil being returned from theseveral wells to the reservoir.

Further, I provide for common control of the starting and stopping ofall of the oil pumps of the trains high-pressure lubricating system fromthe locomotive cab, so that the high-pressure lubrication may be availedof whenever needed and may operate on all bearings of the trainsimultaneously.

Another of my general objects is to attain the stated desiderata, andothers which will become apparent hereinafter, through the provision ofsimple, compact and quite-inexpensive equipment which is applicable tomuch of the railway rolling-stock now in use and which may be operatedin connection with sources of supply of fluid pressure and of electriccurrent that are standard equipment on most present-day trains.

Other and further objects of my invention will become apparent from thefollowing description, taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings wherein I have shown embodiments of my invention suitable forpractice of the method referred to.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a. longitudinal section through a railwaycar journal box and bearing of standard general design but especiallyequipped for utilization of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross-section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an under side view of the bearing brass;

Fig. 4 is a section on line 4 4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is an enlargement of a fragment of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a preferred equipment for thepractice of my invention; Y

Fig. 7 is a plan view of a conventional railwaycar truck, equipped forpractice in my invention;

Fig. 8 is a side elevation thereof;

Fig. 9 is an end elevation thereof;

Fig. 10 is a plan view of the power-driven pumping unit;

Fig. 11 is a longitudinal section on broken line Il-II of Fig. 10;

Fig. 12 is a detail of valve-connections that are broken away in Fig.11;

Fig. 13 is a horizontal section on line |3I3 of Fig. 11;

Fig. 14 is an end elevation of the motorizedpump assembly;

Fig. l5 is a horizontal section of a equalizing valve structure;

Fig. 16 is 'a section on line Iii-I6 of Fig. 15;

Fig. 17 is a section on line I'l-II of Fig. 18, through a three-wayequalizing valve such as may be employed in the high-pressurelubrication of six-journal trucks; and

Fig. 18 is a section on line I8-I8 of Fig. 1'7.

In the drawings, 20 indicates a journal box, generally of standardconstruction, the lower portion of which constitutes an'oil well 2|, inwhich lis packed the conventional wick-pad 22 of waste, wiping againstthe under Side of the pressurejournal portion 23 of axle 24; the bearingblock 25, oi' appropriate parti-cylindrical bearing-contour as to itssole 26, having the standard, beveled top-formation 21 coacting with themating bcvels of wedge-plate 28, which is interposed between the saddleand the top of the journal-box 20 so that the load on the saddle-bearingis applied through the wedge-slopes for usual loaddistributingeffectpthe wedgingcooperation of these parts tending to maintain thelongitudinal borders of eachsaddlc-brass in contact with the journal.The sole 26 of the saddle-block is commonly made. of brass and theblock, soled with any suitable alloy, is commonly called the brass. Iuse the term brass in that sense, rather than as limited to a particularalloy of metals.

To receive high-pressure lubricant, an oil duct 30 is formed in thesaddle, with its delivery orice located at the center of the saddleslength and directly above the axis of the journal, this duct beingconnected at the outboard end of the saddle with piping 32 which leadsto the source of oil-pressure supply to be described.

Distribution grooves 33 in the under side of the brass lead from orifice3| to symmetrically located points in a border-groove 34, the latterbeing appropriately spaced from and parallel with the margins of thesaddles bearing surface all around the perimeter thereof.

The two courses of border-groove 34 which run parallel to thelongitudinal vmargins of the bearing surface of the saddle andpreferably all of the other grooves, are shaped to augment the liftingeffect of oil forced into the bearing under high pressure, and to thisend I give the grooves a cross-sectional shape which may be generallydescribed as the constantly-progressive spreading of a pair of curves;that is to say. each side wall 35 of the groove being, in cross-section,a curve of progressively increasing radius most nearly radial to theaxis of the journal where it merges into the concave bottom of thegroove and almost tangent to the surface of the journal where it mergesinto the parti-cylindrical curvature of the saddles bearing surface,substantially as shown in Fig. 5; these side-wall curvatures of thegrooves being thus of a convex, rather than concave; contour. Thischaracter of groovlng, I find, contributes materially to the elcacy ofthe highpressure oiling.

'Ille marginal surfaces 36 of the saddle-brass beyond the border-groove34 are uninterrupted. and for best practice it is desirable to have thisungrooved margin or border 36 of considerable width, to constrain theforce-fed oil against wasteful freedom to escape from between thebearing surfaces. Specifically, I have found that a solid border of1.25" width will give excellent results on the brasses for 10" x 6" A.R. A. bearings; and although the border width, in inches, may bedecreased somewhat for smaller bearings, the lat-v ter are best servedif the border width constitutesa larger percentage of total width thanin larger sizes.

In the practice of my lubrication method, the oil should be-pumped intothe bearings under a pressure per square inch that is above the meantare-load pressure per square inch on the bearing surfaces and for bestperformance the oil-pressure should be well above the mean expectablo,

full load pressure thereon.

It will be understood, in the last-stated connection, that in standardcar-building practice, each class or size of standard A. R. A. bearingis designed and rated for a. given maximum meanload capacity; a cardesigned for a given maximum load being equipped with bearings of sizejointly adequate for that expectable car-load; and the oil pumpingequipment of my system should be operatable to develop oil-pressure wellabove the car's bearing-load rating.

Specifically, .for example, I have found that if Class C (6" x`-10") A.R.A. bearings (grooved as above described but otherwise standard) arestarted while oil is being forced in under approximately 1250 poundspressure, the requisite starting pull is lowered, under any bearing loadfrom minimum to full expectable load of approximately 800 pounds persquare inch,vto so small a percentage of that requisite for startingsimilarlyconditioned wick-fed bearings as to compare favorably withresults obtained by the use of highgrade roller bearings: but itwillbevapparent that, since a large proportionofrailway cars in serviceare ,seldom operated under maximum load conditions, equipment forhigh-pressure lubrication will-serve the useful purposes heretoforementioned in many instances of use, even though the maximumpressure-capacity of the oil-supplying devices, above tare-loadpressure. be less-than thatabove stated.

In my preferred.equipmentotcarsfonthe stated high-pressure supplementarylubrication of the bearings, the installation on each car includes amotor-driven oil-pumping unit 4l, suitable to developva predeterminedoil pressure of ample pressure valuersuch unit being connected to theoil ducts 30 of aplurality of the bearings as by a series ofdistributively branching `pipes or ducts 4I, 4I, 42, and 43 of suitablesizes; and also includes a local oil-reserve reservoir 44, serving thepump-unit 4U; a local circulatory system for the oil being completed byconnecting the oil well 2| of `each journal box 20 of the circuit to thesupply source 44, through piping 45.

Althougha single oil pump may be used to serve the bearingsforboth-trucks of a car, I deem it advantageous to employ a separatepump and its associated equipment foreach truck, to supply only its fouror six bearings (as the case may be) with the high-pressure lubricant,thereby to secure numerous advantages. Y

All of the motor-pump units 40 of the train are connected in common withcontrol devices in the engine cab by which the engineer may start theminto simultaneous operation, and the motor of each such unit isconnected with a power-source local to the car but which preferablyreceives its power from the locomotives air-compressing Y equipment.

In the particular constrifitoirihownth out the train may be suppliedfrom a compressor 54 on the locomotive to air tanks 55 on the respectivecars which may be, for example, the auxiliary tanks of the air-brakesystem. These air tanks are automatically maintained under substantiallyconstant air pressure, and from the outgoing air pipe 56 of each carstank the air may be led to the respective motors 41 of the two trucksthrough ilexible air-pipes 51, the air supply being cut oi or on by theoperation of suitable motor-controlling means 5l.

'I'hese air-motor controlling devices 58 are preferably themselvescontrollable from the locomotive cab and are here shown assolenoid-operated valves 59, normally spring-closed to cut of( thecompressed air supply oi.' their respective air motors; the solenoidsGII which, when energized, open such valves being connected in parallelin' the circuit Il' which extends to the locomotive and is thereprovided withfa source of current iol.

supply 62 and any suitable form of switch I3 Thus, Ywith the motor partsin position as shown in Figs. 6 and 11, opening of supply valve 59 willadmit air from supply-pipe 51, via connectionduct 55 which is adjustablyconstrlcted by needlevalve 65' and through one port 64* of the reversingvalve I4, to the right-hand .end of cylinder 49; while the other port54h of the reversing valve i4 connects the left-hand end of the cylinderto one of the exhaust ports 66. The consequent leftward travel of thepiston brings it into contact, near the end of its stroke. with astriker pin 61 of the valve-reversing link-mechanism 68, to rock thevalve 64 to reverse position and push the opposed striker pin 61 intoposition to be worked by motor piston 48 on its rlghtward stroke.

In the oil-circulation system, the outer end of each pump cylinder 52has its respective iiowpipe 4| connected to a check-valving assembly 10,which is preferably located in the head of the oilsupply tank 44 as bestshown in Figs. V11 and 13, such valve assembly, as here shown, providingtwo pairs of check-valves, respectively associated 'with the two flowpipes 4| and so arranged that the oil driven out o'f either cylinder bythe outstroke of its piston is delivered to. the common supply-header orduct 4|* for distribution to the car bearings through piping 42, 43;while the other pair of valves permits that piston 50 which is makingits instroke to suck oil from the supply in reservoir 44. l

Speciflcallyreach pair of the spring-closed check-valves comprises one,indicated at 1|, which is interposed between the flow-pipe 4| and thesupply-header 4|l and arranged to open under the pressure of oil pumpedthrough its respective pipe 4|, while the other valve of the pair,indicated at 12, is interposed between the end o! said pipe 4| and asuction tube 14 which dips into the oil in the reservoir, this valveopening toward the associated pipe 4| when the pump creates a suction insaid pipe. The oil in the reservoir 44 is under atmospheric pressure,the top of the reservoir having an air vent (not shown). Thus it will beapparent that on leftward movement of the pump pistons 50 from theposition shown in the drawings, oil under pressure will be deliveredfrom the left pump cylinder past the' left-hand, upper check valve 1| tothe distribution piping, while oil will be sucked into the right-handcylinderv of the pump from the oil tservoir, past the right-hand, lowercheck valve The oil which is pressure-fed to the respective bearingsobviously iinds its way ultimately into the oil wells 2| of the journalbox and in order to maintain the desired oil level in the bottom of eachbox but to permit the return of surplus oil into the reservoir 44, eachbox is provided with a oat valve 'I6 controlling the communication ofsuch oil well with the return pipe 45 leading to reservoir 44, suchvalve preferably working in and being guided by a filter-screen cage 11.l

It will be appreciated that the actual oil pressure built up by the pumpdepends upon the resistance offered by the bearings to the escape ofoil, and that this resistance may differ in different bearings,according to amount of load imposed on the individual bearing and alsoaccording to the bearings physical condition. To largely compensate, indistributing the oil, for differences in flow-resistance of respectivebearings, I provide at each branch point of the distribution piping (e.g. at 8|) and 8|, Fig. 6) an equalizingvalve structure which may be oftwo-way construction as shown in Figs. 13, 15, and 16, or of three-wayconstruction as shown in Figs. 17 and 18, in keeping with the number ofbranches to be served; such valves acting in response to pressuredifferences in the branches to vary the effective iiow capacities of thebranches.

Thus, in serving the bearings of a four-wheeled truck from a commonsupply-header 4|, as in Fig. 6, a two-way equalizer 8m governs thebranch pipes 42, 42 leading across to respective sides of the truck anda similar two-way equalizer 8| governs distribution from the respectivepipe 42 to the pipes 43, 43 leading to the two adjacent journal-boxes20. For a six-wheeled truck,

three-Way equalizers 8|' (Figs. 17, 18) will be used in lieu of thetwo-way ones 8|, to feed the three journal boxes on each side of thetruck.

Referring to Figs. 6 and 13, the supply pipe 4|* opens to both of thebranch pipes 42 through passages 42, and a slidable cylindrical valve 83normally partially chokes both passages. As long as both pipes 42 offera substantially equal resistance to oil flow the valvestands inmid-position, but should the resistance to oil flow through one pipe 42be less than that of the other, the valve moves in the direction ofleast resistance, further choking the passageway of least resistance. Alimiting pin 34 extending through a slot 84' of appropriate length inthe valve limits the choking effect of the valve in either direction.Like construction is provided in the two-way equalizer 8|, Figs. 15 and16.

In the three-way equalizer 8|' shown in Figs. 17 and 18, three chokevalves 83' each slot-andpin connected as at 84 to a ring 85 which can,to a limited extent, move radially in any direction in the chamber 81 ofthe valve shell, will work in the same pressure-equalizing fashion withrespect to the three-distribution branches 43'. Preferably, either formof distributor is slightly biased to return to mid-position as by verylight springs 86 acting on the valves.

Where each supply pipe 43 leads into a journal box,'a detachablecoupling construction43 is provided, removal of which frees the bearingvsaddle to be taken out.

While the specific construction and arrangement of parts for thepractice of my invention may be quite widely varied, it is desirable toarrange the air motor and pump 40, the control solenoid 60 for themotor, the oil reservoir 44, and the equalizing valve 80 which controlsthe branch piping leading to opposite sides of the truck, all in acompact assembly-unit such as is shown in Figs. 10 to 14, adapted to bemounted on the spring-.plank 8l of a standard car truck, as shown inFigs. '1, 8, and 9, and to mount directly on the respective side framesof the truck the equalizing valves 8| which control the distribution ofthe oil longitudinally to the bearings on the same side. Thisarrangement of the equipment for each truck has many advantages,including avoidance of the use of flexible connections in thehigh-pressure piping, small size and economical construction of eachassembly-unit, and ease of maintenance and repair of the units.

In the specific construction herein shown, the differential between theeffective areas of the air-motor piston and the oil-pump pistons isabout 20 to 1, which is appropriate for very emcaciousbearing-lubrication where the air-tank pressure is normally maintainedat about 60 pounds and the full bearing-load is of the order of 750 to800 pounds per square inch. For proper conservation of the air supply,and as well to meet specific bearing-load conditions of different typesof cars, the needle-valve 65 in the airsupply line of the motor may beadjusted to vary the average time of piston-stroke. And for insurance ofadequate oil supply at all times, the reservoir 44 is desirably built toaiTord a receptive capacity somewhat in excess of the full capacity ofthe journal-box-wells 2| that it serves.

My lubrication system as above described is readily susceptible ofsemi-.automatic control, such that when the engineer sets the systeminto operation the devices will continue to operate until apredetermined train-speed at or above the critical speed isreached-unless the operation of the devices be sooner stopped by theengineers manual control. In Fig, 6 I have shown means to this end inpurely diagrammatic fashion; an armature-equipped switch 63', a holdingmagnet 90 therefor, and a speed-responsive circuitbreaker 9| beingconnected in control circuit 6| in parallel with the knife-switch 63.When switch 63 is closed, magnet 90 holds it so until the circuitbreaker interrupts the circuit at the predetermined trainspeed,unlessthe engineer manually opens the switch 63.

In rsum, as to the operation of the lubrication system above described,it is contemplated that the engineer will start the high pressurelubricating system into operation immediately before starting the train,by closing switch 63 or 63', and that the high pressure oiling will'becontinued until the train is running at a speed where wick-fedlubrication will be satisfactory. 'I'he several air-motor-and-pump units40, each localized to a respective car truck, are simultaneously setinto operation by the opening of the respective solenoid-openedairvalves 59 and simultaneously begin their high-pressure oil-delivery tothe car bearings. The delivery made to each of the 4 or 6 bearingsserved by a single pumping unit is substantially equalized through thepressure-difEerential-responsive action of the distributing valves 80and 8|,-so that variations in load on different bearings of the truck,or differences in tightness of different bearings, will not result inflooding some ofthe bearings and starving others.

The oil, thus introduced into the distribution grooves 33, 34 of eachcar-bearing under pressure in excess of the load-pressure per squareinch on the bearing, distributes almost instantly throughout the groovedarea and, with its lifttendency enhanced by the wedging-lift-forcesexerted on the convex wall portions 35 of the grooves 33, 34, itappreciably lifts the bearingbrass or oats it, to the extent at least ofthoroughly wetting the confronting bearing surfaces. Theparti-cylindrical contour of the confronting bearing-surfaces causestheir slight separation to be greater directly above the axis of thejournal than is their separation -at the longitudinal margins of thesaddle, and thus the solid, unin capillary pad or wick 22, to augmentthe lubrication of the rearward solid borders 36 of the brass.

The setting up of these high-pressure oiling conditions at the time ofstarting has effect to reduce the critical speed range at which thecapillary feed alone will become fully and satisfactorily effective,since the stated wetting of the- 4sure lubrication may be veryadvantageously V used. This may be instanced in -the hauling of atrainso heavy, or against such a grada-that the locomotive cannot accelerateit under normal wick-feeding condition of its bearings. Re-

sort to the high-pressure lubrication will permit the acceleration to behad where otherwise it would be beyond the locomotives power.

This application is a continuation-in-part of my co-pending application,filed October 19, 1932, Serial No. 638,552, intended to cover thepatentable subject matter set forth in said copending application andthe additional patentable subject matter disclosed herein..

I claim:

1. A method of lubricating a saddle-type rail- -way car bearing, whichcomprises establishing and continuously maintaining feed of fluidlubricant to the exposed underside of the journal from abody oflubricant therebelow, by capillary action; for a time that includes thestarting of journal rotation and continues until the journal attains acritical speed for efcient bearing-lubrication by`its lubricantentrainment from said capillary feed, forcing fluid lubricant betweenthe journal and the bearing-brass 'under pressure that is at leastsufficient to cause the force-fed lubricant to lift said brass, wet theopposed surfaces of the journal and brass, and cause escape of some ofsaid fluid from between said surfaces so as to augment, in a zone abovethe first-mentioned body of lubricant and close to the underside of thejournal, the lubricant supply of said capillary feed and thereby reducethe value of said critical speed.

2. A method of lubricating a saddle-type railway car bearing, whichcomprises establishing and continuously maintaining feed of fluidlubricant to the exposed underside of the journal from a body oflubricant therebelow by capillary action; for a time that includes thestarting of journal rotation and continues until the journal attains acritical speed for eilicient bearing-lubrication by its lubricantentrainment from said capillary feed, forcibly lifting the bearing-brasswith respect to the journal and wetting the opposed surfaces of thebearing and augmenting in a zone above the first-mentioned body oflubricant and close to the underside of the journal the supply oflubricant for capillary feed, all by forcing fluid lubricant between thejournal and bearing-brass under pressure that exceeds theper-square-inch load on the bearing and by so distributing andconstraining said lubricant between the bearing surfaces as to applypart of its initial lifting pressure on vpredetermined narrow zones ofsaid bearing-brass extending to locations nearer to the longitudinalmargins of the brass thanV to its longitudinal axis and in which zonesthe lubricant exerts a wedging lift between the journal and the brassand from which zones marginally-escaping lubricant augments, asaforesaid, the lubricant supply forV capillary feed.

3. A method of lubricating a saddle-type railway. car bearing, whichcomprises establishing and continuously maintaining feed of fluidlubricant to the exposed underside of the journal from a body oflubricant therebelow by capillary action; for a time that includes thestarting of journal rotation and continues until the journal attains acritical speed for efllcient bearing-lubrication by its lubricantentrainment from said capillary feed, forcibly lifting the bearing-brasswithrespect to the journal and wetting the op- DUSed-surfaces of thebearing by forcing uid lubricant between the journal and bearing-brassunder pressure that exceeds the per-square-inch load on the bearing andso distributing said lubricant to areas closer to the longitudinalmargins of the brass than to the longitudinal axis thereof andconstraining its flow out of said areas that a substantial part of theinitial lifting eiect of the lubricant so force-fed is exerted as awedging action in said zone.

4. A method for lubricating a saddle-type railway car bearing, whichcomprises establishing and continuously maintaining feed ofv fluidlubricant to the exposed undersideof the journal from a body oflubricant therebelow, by capillary action; for a time that includes thestarting of journal rotation and continuesuntil the journal attains acritical .speed for efficient bearinglubrication by its lubricantentrainment from said capillary feed, forcing fluid lubricant betweenthe journal and the bearing-brass under pressure that is at leastsuiicient to cause the force-fed lubricant to lift said brass, wet theopposed surfaces of the journal and brass, and cause escape of fluidfrom between said surfaces, so as to augment, in a zone above thefirst-mentioned body of lubricant the lubricant-supply of said capillaryfeed and thereby reduce the value of said critical speed; andautomatically stopping said forcefeeding when approximately the reducedcritical speed is reached.

5. A method of lubricating a plurality of saddie-type bearings of arailway car truck, which comprises establishing and continuouslymaintaining, for each said bearing, a capillary feed of fluid lubricantto the exposed underside of the journal to permit the journal Vwhen inrotation to pick up such lubricant for entrainment between the bearingsurfaces, and for a time that includes the starting of journal rotationand continues until the journal attains a critical speed for eilicientbearing-lubrication by its lubricantentrainment, forcing fluid lubricantfrom a common source to each of said bearings through respective areasof variable flow capacity and varying the relative ow capacities thereofaccording to pressure-differences in the respective said areas liver oilto the bearings in said journal boxes, an

air motor for said pump, a compressed air supply tank, andpressure-supply connections from said tank to said air motor, said airmotor being adapted to actuate said pump to supply oil to said bearingsunder pressure sufficient to separate the bearing surfaces.

'7. In combination with a railway car, an oil pump, means connecting theintake of said oil pump with journal boxes of the car, discharge meansleading from the outlet of said pump to the bearings in said journalboxes, an air actuated motor for driving said pump, and means forsupplying air under compression to said motor, said motor being adaptedto actuate said oil pump to supply oil to said bearings under pressurein excess of the per-square-inch load on the bearing surfaces.

8. The combination of a saddle-type railway car bearing having its brassrecessed on its underside to provide for oil distribution to recesses inzones laterally remote from its longitudinal median line, the side wallsof said recesses in said zones being shaped to meet the concaveunderside of the brass almost tangentially thereto to cause oil forcedinto said recesses to exert a wedging lift on the brass, and means forforcing oil into said recesses under pressure suillcient to cause theoil to lift said brass with respect to its journal and wet the opposedsurfaces of the bearing.

9. The combination of a saddle-type railway car bearing having its brassprovided with an oil inlet duct and with grooves on its undersidecommunicating with said duct to distribute oil between said brass andits journal, said grooves including border-grooves extendinglongitudinally of the brass remote from its longitudinal median line andsaid longitudinal grooves having their side walls shaped convexly; andmeans for forcing oil into saidcinl'et of the brass under pressure atleast suiilcient to cause the oil to lift the brass with respect to itsjournal and wet the opposed surfaces of the bearing.`

10. In combination with a railway car, means thereon for forcing oilbetween the bearing surfaces of its bearings under pressure suillcientto cause the oilto lift the bearing brasses with respect to theirjournals and wet the opposed surfaces of the bearings, said brasses eachhaving an oil inlet duct BdJacent its center and oil distributiongrooves leading therefrom and communicating with border groovessubstantially paralleling and somewhat set back from the margins of thebrass, the longitudinally-extending courses of said border grooveshaving their opposite side walls shaped convexly on curves ofprogressively increasing radius, and that' portion of fthe brass betweensaid border grooves and the margin of the brass being uninterrupted.

11. In combination with bearings of a railway car, means for supplyinglubricant to said bearings under pressure that is at least suillcient tolift the bearing brasses with respect to their \journals to Wet theopposed surfaces of the bearings, said means including means to supplyoil under pressure, oil-delivery connections therefrom distributivelybranched to said respective bearings and pressure-responsive means,operatively associated with a plurality of branch connections that havea common branching point, for varying the relative flow capacities ofsaid branches in response to pressure-diiferences therein.

12. In a railway car lubricating system, the

combination with a plurality of car bearings, of lubricant pumpingmeans, motor means therefor, oil-delivery connections branched atsuitable points for delivering oil from said pumping means into saidseveral bearings, and respective equalizing-valve means controlling thebranches from each branching point and operating in response topressure-differences in the connections branching from that point tovary their relative flow capacities.

13. In a railway car lubricating system, the combination with aplurality of car bearings, of lubricant pumping means, motor meanstherefor, oil-delivery connections branched at suitable points fordelivering oil from said pumping means into said several bearings, andequalizing-valve means controlling the branches from each branchingpoint and operating in response to pressure-differences in theconnections branching from that point to vary their relative flowcapacities, said valve means including transversely slidable valvemembers in the respective branch connections each movable to vary theflow capacity of its respective branch-connection, said valve membersbeing interconnected for operation in unison, whereby said valvesautomatically vary the ow capacities of said branches in response topressure-differences in said branches.

14. In a system for lubricating the bearings of railway cars in a train,car-carried equipment for forcing oil into a plurality of bearings ofthe car under pressure sumcient at least to cause the oil to lift thebearing brasses with respect to their journals and wet the opposedbearing surfaces, said equipment comprising an oil pump, motor means fordriving said pump, oil-delivering connections from said pump, whichconnections are branched to deliveroil to said respective bearings,automatic means responsive to pressure differences in respectivebranches to vary the effective flow capacities of such branches, andmeans on the locomotive for starting and stopping the operation of saidmotor means.

15. In a system for lubricating a plurality of the journal-bearings of arailway car, means for supplying lubricant to said bearings underpressure that is at least sumcient to lift the bearing brasses withrespect to their Journals and to wet the opposed surfaces of thebearings, said means including means to supply oil under pressure,oil-delivery connections therefrom distributively branched to saidrespective bearings. and, in association with each respective branchinginvolved in the system, automatic means responsive to pressurediiferences between the branches of such branching, to vary the relativeflow capacities as between said branches ofthe particular branching; andmeans on the locomotive for starting and stopping the operation of saidmotor means.

16. In a system for lubricating the bearings of railway cars in a train,car-carried equipment for forcing oil into a plurality of bearings ofthe car under pressure suiiicient at least to cause the oil to lift thebearing brasses with respect to their journals and wet the opposedbearing surfaces, said equipment comprising an oil pump, motor means fordriving said pump, and oil-delivering connections from said pump to saidbearings; and means on the locomotive manually controllable to startsaid motor means and automatically controlled to stop the operation ofsaid motor means at a predetermined train speed.

17. In combination with a railway car, oil

rality of bearings of said car under pressure that is at least suicientto cause the oil to lift the bearing brasses with respect to theirjournals and wet the opposed surfaces ofthe bearings, an air motor forsaid pump, an air-pressure source connected with said air motor, andmeans for regirlating the air flow from said supply source to said airmotor to vary the speed of said air motors operation.

18. In combination with a railway car, oilpumping means thereon forforcing oil between the bearing surfaces of a plurality of bearings ofsaid car under pressure that is at least sumcient to cause the oil tolift the bearing brasses with respect to their journals and wet theopposed surfaces of the bearings, an air motor for said pumping means,means for supplying air under pressure to said air motor and having asupply connection therewith, and valve means in said connection forregulating the flow-capacity of said connection.

19. In combination with a railway car, an oil pump for forcing oilbetween the bearing surfaces of the bearings of a car truck underrelatively high pressure, an air motor for said pump operable by airunder relativelyiow pressure, a carcarried source of supply of air underrelatively low pressure for said air motor, a exible piping connectionfrom said air motor to said source of air supply, and non-flexingconnections from said high-pressure pump to said bearings, said airmotor and pump being mounted on the car truck in ilxed position relativeto the bearings thereof.

20. In a system for lubricating the bearings of railway cars,car-carried equipment for forcing oil into the plurality of bearings ofa car truck, said equipmentl comprising in one compact structural unitmounted on the car truck an oil pump, motor means for driving said pump,and an oil reservoir having delivery-connection to the pump intake; andalso comprising distribution-piping connections from the dischargeoutlet of said pump having suitable branches for delivering oil intorespective bearings of `said truck and oil-return piping connectionsfrom the journal-boxes of said truck to said -oil reservoir, and meansfor automatically varying the relative flow capacities of differentbranch connections in response to pressure-differences in saidconnections.

21. In a system for lubricating the bearings of railway cars in a train,car-carried equipment for forcing oil into a plurality of bearings, saidequipment comprising in one structural unit an oil pump, motor means fordriving said pump, elecnections from the respective journal boxes ofsaidbearings to said reservoir; and locomotivecarried equipment comprising asource of current supply and a switch, connected to operate saidelectrically-controlled means onthe car.

22. 'I'he combination with a railway car having a. plurality lof journalboxes enclosing respective saddle bearings and each provided with an oilwell, and means for feeding oil from said wells to the respectivejournals during journal rotation; of power-driven pumping-means forforcing oil between the bearing surfaces of said plurality of bearingsunder pressure suiiicient to cause the oil to lift the bearing-saddleswith respect to their journals and wet the opposed surfaces of thebearings; and means for controlling the time of operation of saidpower-driven pumping means whereby the latter may be operated during thestarting of journal rotation and until the critical speed is reached atwhich the first said oilfeeding means become fully eiective.

23. The combination with a railway car having capillary feed of oil fromthe well to the exposed* underside of the journal; Van oil pump forforcing oil between said bearing surfaces under pressure sufficient tocause the oil to lift the bearing saddles with respect to their journalsand wet the opposed surfaces of the bearings, said pump having deliveryconnections to said several bearings and having its intake connected tosaid several oil wells, and respective automatic valves in the journalboxes to cut off the oil-well connection to the pump intake before theoil `well is emptied.

24. The combination with a railway car having a plurality of journalboxes enclosing respective saddle bearings and each provided with an oilwell andwith means for feeding oil therefrom to the respective journallduring journal rotation; of an oil reservoir having intake connectionsto the oil wells of the several journal boxes, power driven pumpingmeans for forcing oil between the bearing surfaces of said severalbearings under pressure sufficient to lcause the oil to lift the bearingsaddles with respect to their journals and wet the opposed surfaces ofthe bearings, said pump having its intake connected to said oilreservoir, and means for controlling the time of operation of said powerdriven pumping means whereby the latter may be operated during thestarting of

